I've heard it several times: Film and TV are the new radio. The first session I sat in on today was with Tracy McKnight, Head of Film Music at Lionsgate. She went over basics of how to get your music heard by a music supervisor:
1. Do Your Homework
Tracy poked fun at some of the submissions she gets...from the cover letters that address her as "Terry" instead of Tracy, to the ones that start the cover letter with "To Whom It May Concern" or "Hey Folks" instead of addressing a specific person, which clearly identifies the sender's material as unsolicited. Know who you're addressing, know the details about the project you're submitting to, and know the music supervisor's previous work. Make the music supervisor's job easier by submitting a genre of music that is relevant to the project you're submitting for. For example, if the movie is a film that takes place in modern day about a teenage boy, she'll probably be looking for music that is relevant to today's teenagers and their lifestyles, not teenagers of the '50s.
2. Guidelines for Submissions
Do send three to four songs of your work that best represent you. Don't send your entire catalogue. Do send only material that you own and have the right to license. Don't send songs that contain samples that you have not cleared. Do send CDs with professional packaging. Don't send photos of yourself that are inappropriate (McKnight specifically said she doesn't like getting naked photos with song submissions).
3. Get a Mentor
McKnight mentioned how important it is to have a mentor. This is a person who has achieved a certain level of success who will give you advice, and see potential in you even when you may not see it in yourself.
Another observation I made during the session with Tracy is about the people she interviewed, as well as the people who got on the microphone during the Q&A session.
Tracy asked the audience members to raise their hands to volunteer to come on stage to be interviewed. The first singer/songwriter that jumped up on stage and sat in the seat was not the person Tracy selected to come up. Although the other audience members seemed upset about this girl's boldness in going up there without being called on, I admired her for doing so. She did whatever it took to be in that seat for that opportunity to be heard...and she got it. And as it turned out, she was actually an awesome singer and songwriter.
Last side note...I know as artists we all want to have confidence and promote ourselves, but there's a difference between being hungry (passionate and determined) and being thirsty (desperate). After all, people want to do business with people they like. They don't want to do business with people that barf on them...meaning talking about yourself non-stop, throwing your business card in their face before you've made a true connection, and insisting the person listen to your entire catalogue of music when they haven't even learned your name yet. There's an art and a benefit to listening, being able to read body language, and especially getting to the point when dealing with extremely busy people such as Tracy McKnight. After all, in any situation you'll get much further by giving and being of value to others than by taking.
